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- Daelman, Bo, et al.
(author)
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Frailty and cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults with congenital heart disease
- 2024
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In: Journal of the American College of Cardiology. - : Elsevier. - 0735-1097 .- 1558-3597. ; 83:12, s. 1149-1159
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Life expectancy of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) has increased rapidly, resulting in a growing and aging population. Recent studies have shown that older people with CHD have higher morbidity, health care use, and mortality. To maintain longevity and quality of life, understanding their evolving medical and psychosocial challenges is essential.Objectives: The authors describe the frailty and cognitive profile of middle-aged and older adults with CHD to identify predictor variables and to explore the relationship with hospital admissions and outpatient visits.Methods: Using a cross-sectional, multicentric design, we included 814 patients aged ≥40 years from 11 countries. Frailty phenotype was determined using the Fried method. Cognitive function was assessed by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment.Results: In this sample, 52.3% of patients were assessed as robust, 41.9% as prefrail, and 5.8% as frail; 38.8% had cognitive dysfunction. Multinomial regression showed that frailty was associated with older age, female sex, higher physiologic class, and comorbidities. Counterintuitively, patients with mild heart defects were more likely than those with complex lesions to be prefrail. Patients from middle-income countries displayed more prefrailty than those from higher-income countries. Logistic regression demonstrated that cognitive dysfunction was related to older age, comorbidities, and lower country-level income.Conclusions: Approximately one-half of included patients were (pre-)frail, and more than one-third experienced cognitive impairment. Frailty and cognitive dysfunction were identified in patients with mild CHD, indicating that these concerns extend beyond severe CHD. Assessing frailty and cognition routinely could offer valuable insights into this aging population.
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| 2. |
- Moons, Philip, 1968, et al.
(author)
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Influenza vaccination in congenital heart disease in the pre-COVID19 era: Coverage rate, patient characteristics and outcome.
- 2021
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In: The Canadian journal of cardiology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1916-7075 .- 0828-282X. ; 37:9, s. 1472-1479
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Influenza vaccination is the most commonly recommended immune prevention strategy. However, data on influenza vaccination in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) is scarce. In this study, our goals were to (i) measure vaccination coverage rates (VCR) for influenza in a large cohort of children, adolescents and adults with CHD, (ii) identity patient characteristics as predictors for vaccination, and (iii) investigate the impact of influenza vaccination on hospitalization.A nationwide cohort study in Belgium included 16,778 patients, representing 134,782 vaccination years, from the BELgian COngenital heart disease Database combining Administrative and Clinical data (BELCODAC). Data over 9 vaccination years (2006-2015) were used, and patients were stratified into five age cohorts: 6 months-4 years; 5-17 years; 18-49 years; 50-64 years; and ≥65 years.In the respective age cohorts, the VCR was estimated to be 6.6%, 8.0%, 23.9%, 46.6%, and 72.8%. There was a steep increase in VCR as of the age of 40 years. Multivariable logistic regression showed that higher anatomical complexity of CHD, older age, presence of genetic syndromes, and prior cardiac interventions were associated with significantly higher VCRs. Among adults, men had lower and pregnant women had higher VCRs. The association between influenza vaccination and all-cause hospitalization was not significant in this study.The influenza VCR in people with CHD is low, especially in children and adolescents. Older patients, particularly those with complex CHD, are well covered. Our findings should inform vaccination promotion strategies in populations with CHD.
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| 5. |
- Van Bulck, Liesbet, et al.
(author)
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Last year of life of adults with congenital heart diseases: causes of death and patterns of care.
- 2022
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In: European heart journal. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1522-9645 .- 0195-668X. ; 43:42, s. 4483-4492
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Although life expectancy in adults with congenital heart diseases (CHD) has increased dramatically over the past five decades, still a substantial number of patients dies prematurely. To gain understanding in the trajectories of dying in adults with CHD, the last year of life warrants further investigation. Therefore, our study aimed to (i) define the causes of death, and (ii) describe the patterns of healthcare utilisation in the last year of life of adults with CHD.This retrospective mortality follow-back study used healthcare claims and clinical data from BELCODAC, which includes patients with CHD from Belgium. Healthcare utilisation comprises cardiovascular procedures, CHD physician contacts, general practitioner visits, hospitalisations, emergency department (ED) visits, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and specialist palliative care and was identified using nomenclature codes. Of the 390 included patients, almost half of the study population (45%) died from a cardiovascular cause. In the last year of life, 87% of patients were hospitalised, 78% of patients had an ED visit, and 19% of patients had an ICU admission. Specialist palliative care was provided to 17% of patients, and to only 4% when looking at the patients with cardiovascular causes of death.There is a high use of intensive and potentially avoidable care at the end of life. This may imply that end-of-life care provision can be improved. Future studies should further examine end-of-life care provision in the light of patient's needs and preferences, and how the healthcare system can adequately respond.
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| 7. |
- Willems, Ruben, et al.
(author)
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Different levels of care for follow-up of adults with congenital heart disease: a cost analysis scrutinizing the impact on medical costs, hospitalizations, and emergency department visits.
- 2021
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In: The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1618-7601. ; 22, s. 951-960
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To scrutinize the economic impact of different care levels, such as shared care, in the follow-up of adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients.The BELgian COngenital heart disease Database combining Administrative and Clinical data (BELCODAC) was analyzed. Patients (N=6579) were categorized into five care levels based on their cardiac follow-up pattern between 2006 and 2010. Medical costs, hospitalizations, and emergency department visits were measured between 2011 and 2015.In patients with moderate lesions, highly specialized cardiac care (HSC; exclusive follow-up by ACHD specialists) and shared care with predominantly specialized cardiac care (SC+) were associated with significantly lower medical costs and resource use compared to shared care with predominantly general cardiac care (SC-) and general cardiac care (GCC). In the patient population with mild lesions, HSC was associated with better economic outcomes than SC- and GCC, but SC+was not. HSC was associated with fewer hospitalizations (-33%) and less pharmaceutical costs (-46.3%) compared to SC+. Patients with mild and moderate lesions in the no cardiac care (NCC) group had better economic outcomes than those in the GCC and SC- groups, but post-hoc analysis revealed that they had a different patient profile than patients under cardiac care.More specialized care levels are associated with better economic outcomes in patients with mild or moderate lesions in cardiac follow-up. Shared care with strong involvement of ACHD specialists might be a management option to consider. Characteristics of patients without cardiac follow-up but good medium-term economic prospects should be further scrutinized.
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| 8. |
- Van Bulck, Liesbet, et al.
(author)
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Rationale, design and methodology of APPROACH-IS II: International study of patient-reported outcomes and frailty phenotyping in adults with congenital heart disease.
- 2022
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In: International journal of cardiology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1874-1754 .- 0167-5273. ; 363, s. 30-39
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In recent years, patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have received increasing prominence in cardiovascular research and clinical care. An understanding of the variability and global experience of PROs in adults with congenital heart disease (CHD), however, is still lacking. Moreover, information on epidemiological characteristics and the frailty phenotype of older adults with CHD is minimal. The APPROACH-IS II study was established to address these knowledge gaps. This paper presents the design and methodology of APPROACH-IS II.APPROACH-IS II is a cross-sectional global multicentric study that includes Part 1 (assessing PROs) and Part 2 (investigating the frailty phenotype of older adults). With 53 participating centers, located in 32 countries across six continents, the aim is to enroll 8000 patients with CHD. In Part 1, self-report surveys are used to collect data on PROs (e.g., quality of life, perceived health, depressive symptoms, autonomy support), and explanatory variables (e.g., social support, stigma, illness identity, empowerment). In Part 2, the cognitive functioning and frailty phenotype of older adults are measured using validated assessments.APPROACH-IS II will generate a rich dataset representing the international experience of individuals in adult CHD care. The results of this project will provide a global view of PROs and the frailty phenotype of adults with CHD and will thereby address important knowledge gaps. Undoubtedly, the project will contribute to the overarching aim of improving optimal living and care provision for adults with CHD.
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